He was floating in a strange darkness.  The blackness slowly faded to grey. 
He opened his eyes.

"Where... where am I?"  His eyes widened in suprise as he saw the amethyst- 
veined ceiling, then closed in pain.  He couldn't think of any place that 
looked like this.  Not that he could think of much of anything... His 
stomach lurched and he felt its contents rush up his throat.  Someone 
turned his head to the side just in time to keep him from choking.

"Relax.  You're at Geode.  Don't open your eyes, that's what making the 
vertigo get worse," a woman's voice said.

"My head... spinning..."

"Yes, it is.  You're suffering from the effects of a bad teleport, I think. 
You need to rest now, that's right."

He felt pillows being placed around his head and neck, immobilising them.

"Kalon..."

<I am fine, my rider,> Kalon assured him.  <Though I don't know where we 
are and I am worried for you.>

"Your dragon is safe here," a male voice said.

"I can't stay here, I have to get back to Telnor."  He tried to sit up, but 
the woman firmly pushed him back.

"Forget it.  You teleport now, in your state, and you'll be killed for 
certain.  I take it you messed up a teleport?"  He started to nod.  "No, 
don't nod, keep your head still."

"Yes."  She was right.  The nodding made it worse.

"You're lucky you're here," the woman said.  There was a pause, then she 
said, apparently to the other person in the room.  "Look after him, please. 
I have to attend to Phaedra for a bit.  Make sure he doesn't move, whatever 
you do."

"Has there been any change?" the man asked.

B'rin wondered who Phaedra was.

"You mean, has she woke up?  No.  Have I scraped off most of the charred 
flesh?  Almost, but I have to finish.  Watch after him."

His stomach turned at the picture his mind conjured from that statement.  
He thought he was going to throw up again.

There was the quiet sound of breathing.  B'rin decided to risk opening his 
eyes again.

He took in a man about his mother's age, at a guess, average height, brown hair.

<That is V'dar, rider of Telekote,> Kalon informed him.

"B'rin?" the man said.

"Yes?"

"What is a 'Telnor'?"

"What?"

The man shifted.  "You and your dragon keep mentioning going to a Telnor.  
What is that?"

"What is that?!"  B'rin tried to sit up and sank back down as the nausea 
took over him.  Tears sprang to his eyes.  Where had he gotten himself to?  
"What do you mean, 'what is a Telnor?'  It's only the largest warren in the 
DragonLands.  This isn't funny.  I want to go home!"

"Shhh.  Calm down, son.  Kelley's right.  You can't teleport right now.  
You'd kill yourself and Kalon for sure.  It's the biggest warren, is it?"  
There was an odd emotion in the man's voice, as if he were humouring B'rin.

"Yes!" B'rin answered.  "My mother, Ophelia, is the warrenlady... or... I 
hope she still is."

"Why wouldn't she be?" V'dar asked.

"She had a stroke.  R'chein said she'd be okay, but I'm so worried for her. 
And now...  Oh, gods, I have to get back.  She'll be worried sick.  She's 
not well enough for me to go missing.  And Laria's trying to run the warren 
while she's worried about Mom and I was supposed to be helping out against 
the wraiths.  And--"

"Whoa!  Slow down, B'rin.  Tell me slower.  Now who's this R'chein?"

"My mother's new mate, the head healer at Telnor.  He's... he's okay.  Not 
like Papa."

"Is your father dead then?"

B'rin sighed.  "No.  He transferred to Marrid because of... some things he did."

"Marrid?  Another warren?"

"Yes, another warren!  This isn't funny!  I don't know what you're trying 
to pull but I don't like it.  Let me out of here."

He moved quickly, standing before the man could stop him.  He managed one 
step before his knees buckled.  He hit the floor hard, then knelt there, 
throwing up.  He had a vague recall of L'sein saying hangovers were like this.

Someone was walking in then.  "I thought you were supposed to be keeping 
him from moving," the new voice said.

"He surprised me," V'dar said.  "Here, help me get him back in bed."

There were hands on him, then, but he knew he couldn't stay here.

"No!" he screamed, flailing out at them.  "No.  I have to leave!  I can't 
stay here.  This isn't funny!  Let me go!  Help!  Papa!  Kalon!"  A hand 
clamped over his mouth and he bit down in fury.  He kicked out at the 
people trying to keep him in this insane place where they claimed never to 
have heard of Telnor or Marrid or Ophelia.  Faces blurred in front of him.  
He didn't know how many people were trying to hold him.

Then he felt the needle.  He continued to fight until the darkness 
descended again.

******

When he awoke again, the room was dark.  He couldn't move him arms or legs. 
He realised he'd been strapped down to the bed.  Tears sprang to his eyes.

"Help," he said, weakly.  "Someone please help me.  I want to go home."

Respectfully submitted,
 Lynette R. F. Cowper
  B'rin and Kalon

NRPG: Okay, you've got one 14-year-old kid who is either a raving lunatic 
or just really scared and from a place you've never heard of.  Have fun!

---
|   Lynette R. F. Cowper  *  Official INWO Rules NetRep & Goddess    |
| http://www.io.com/~lcowper  *  lcowper@io.com  *  lcowper@indy.net |
|  "If people never did silly things, nothing intelligent would ever |
|                   get done."  -- L. Wittgenstein                   |

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